Lecture Notes Business Communication A

1 Lecture NotesBusiness Communication APrepared byOlga TempleEnglish Communication StrandSchool of Humanities & Social SciencesUniversity of Papua New GuineaAndrew KavanaEnglish Communication StrandSchool of Humanities & Social SciencesUniversity of Papua New GuineaPrinted at the University of Papua New Guinea Printing PressForeword This is an attempt to provide the students of the University of Papua New Guinea with an up-to-date and concise text on the subject of Business Communication . These Lecture Notes introduce the students to the theory of Communication and to the special features and principles of Business Communication .. This knowledge is essential in improving the students interpersonal Communication skills and provides a platform for the follow-up Business Communication B course, which is more practically oriented. The first part of BCA explains the concept and process of Communication , providing an in-depth understanding of what is effective Communication , common barriers to effective Communication , and the specifics of Communication in organizations.

2 The course further focuses on the characteristics and principles of Business Communication and the process of planning Business Communication . The various interpersonal Communication skills required for effective Communication are discussed at length (writing, reading, speaking, and listening), with special emphasis placed on analytical thinking, which is the underlying prerequisite for all the other Communication skills. This course also introduces the students to the major types and conventions of Business Communication and provides some practical experience in writing Business letters, memos, short reports, etc. These Lecture Notes are based on a number of sources, including The AAT Study Text (Language & Literature Dept., UPNG) Judith Dwyer The Business Communication Handbook 2nd Edition MBC NSW Australia, 1991 Woolcott & Unwin Mastering Business Communication Macmillan Press Ltd., 1983 Sigband Business Communication Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Outline Series, Books for Professionals, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers, 1984 The Internet Olga Temple University of Papua New Guinea Port Moresby November, 2000 Contents Lecture 1: Introduction to Business Communication 1 The Purpose of the Course 1 Definition of Communication 1 Communication Theory 1 The Process of Communication 3 Feedback in Communication 3 Effective Communication 3 Barriers to Communication 5 Lecture 2.

3 Communication in Organizations 6 Concept & Types of Organizations 6 Communication in Business Organizations 6 Functions of Communication in a Business Organization 7 Increased Volume & Complexity of Communication in Organizations 7 Organizational Structure & Lines of Communication 8 Communication in a Network Organization: New Realities 11 Channels of Communication & Networking: Types of Networks 11 Communication Media in Business Communication 12 Principles of Business Communication 12 Lecture 3: Using the Language 14 A Historical Overview 14 The Wrong Words 15 Jargon 15 Emotive Language 17 Too Many Words 18 The Fog Index 19 The Right Words 20 Style & Tone 21 Sentence Structure 22 Paragraph Structure 23 Assignments 23 Reference Section: Basics of Syntax & Sentence Analysis 24 Lecture 4: I.

4 Research Methods; Obtaining Information 32 Business Information 32 Effective Information Search: Primary & Secondary Data 32 Receiving Information 33 Analysing, Selecting & Preparing Information 34 Taking Notes 34 Making Notes 34 Summary & Precis 34 II. Writing with Force & Clarity 34 The Planning Process in Communication 35 Scope, Limitations, & Depth 36 Drawing Up the Tentative Outline 36 Outlining Methods 36 Orders of Development 37 Types of Outlines 37 Writing the First Draft 37 Choosing the Words 38 Choosing the Sentences 38 Choosing the Paragraphs 38 Qualities of Writing Style 38 Editing Suggestions 38 Readability Formulas 39 Ten Suggestions for Clear Writing 39 The Final Paper 39 Lecture 5: Communication through Writing: Business Letters 42 The Advantages of the Business Letter 42 The Business Letter Today 42 Letter Format 43 Letter Form 43 Principles of Business Communication 44 Different Types of Letter 45 Memoranda & Notices 47 Lecture 6: Information Storage & Retrieval.

5 Report Writing 50 Information Storage & Retrieval 50 Reports for Decision Making: Types of Reports 51 General Points of Style 51 Report Formats: the Short Form 51 Report Formats: the Long Form 54 Lecture 7: Oral, Non-Verbal & Visual Communication 57 The Advantages of Oral Communication 57 The Disadvantages of Oral Communication 57 Skills in Oral Communication 57 Effective Speaking: the Short Presentation 58 Effective Speaking: the Long Presentation 59 Listening 59 Using Visual Aids to Communicate 61 Lecture 8: Persuasion Persuasion and Influence 63 What is Argument? 64 Constructing a Logical Argument: Persuasive Logic 65 Message Characteristics: Persuasive Style 66 Identifying False Arguments 69 Engaging in a Constructive Discussion 71 Lecture 9: Cooperation 72 Cooperation & Group Characteristics 72 Roles and Relationships within Groups 73 Working in Groups 73 Supervision & Leadership: Styles & Functions 74 Conflict Management 75 Motivation 75 Disciplinary & Grievance Procedures 77 Lecture 10: Conducting Meetings.

6 Documentation for Meetings 78 References 82 1 1 Lecture 1: Introduction to Business Communication 1. The Purpose of the Course 2. Definition of Communication 3. Communication Theory The Behavioral Theory The Mathematical Theory 4. The Process of Communication 5. Feedback in Communication 6. Effective Communication 7. Barriers to Communication 1. The Purpose of the Course. This course is designed to improve the students Communication skills through achieving a better understanding of: the role of Communication in human society the nature of Communication in human society the process of Communication in human society the importance of feedback in Communication barriers to effective Communication specificity of Communication in organizations forms, media, and channels of Communication in organizations The focus on the principles and conventions of Business Communication will also help us improve our basic interpersonal Communication skills, such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

7 The all-important role of analytical thinking as the underlying factor in any form of effective Communication will be highlighted. 2. Definition of Communication . Communication is a complex process often involving reading, writing, speaking and listening. It may be verbal and non-verbal (or a mixture of both), and it uses a variety of media (language, mass media, digital technology, etc.). Broadly speaking, Communication is a transfer and reconstruction of information. More specifically, we may define Communication as the transmission and reception of ideas, feelings and attitudes verbal and non-verbal that produce a response. 3. Communication Theory. There are two major theories of Communication : behavioral & mathematical. The Behavioral Theory covers both verbal and non-verbal Communication . First set forth by Dr. Jurgen Ruesch, a psychiatrist, it postulates that Communication is based on social situations in which individuals find themselves.

8 Our participation in Communication with others must conform to established behavioral patterns involving o social situations (culture, social class, time & place, etc.) o roles (sex, professional, religious, etc.) o status (authority, respect, social/class standing, in the caste system in India) o rules (protocol, ethics, or code of behavior) 2 2 o clues in non-verbal Communication (gestures, touch, voice inflections, rate of delivery, etc.) This theory identifies Communication networks such as intrapersonal, , Communication with oneself, interpersonal, , Communication between individuals, group interaction, such as between clans, or organizations, and cultural, , between distinct cultures, such as Islamic and Christian, or African, Anglo-Saxon and Spanish, etc. in America. The Mathematical Theory is largely based on the work of Claude Shannon & Warren Weaver who were not social scientists but engineers working for Bell Telephone Labs in the United States.

9 Their goal was to ensure the maximum efficiency of telephone cables and radio waves. They developed a model of Communication , which was intended to assist in developing a mathematical theory of Communication . Shannon and Weaver s work proved valuable for Communication engineers in dealing with such issues as the capacity of various Communication channels in bytes per second . It contributed to computer science, and in making information measurable it gave birth to the mathematical study of information theory . Their original model consisted of five elements: An information source, which produces a message; A transmitter, which encodes the message into signals; A channel, to which signals are adapted for transmission; A receiver, which decodes (reconstructs) the message from the signal; A destination, where the message arrives. A sixth element, noise, is a dysfunctional factor: any interference with the message traveling along the channel (such as static on the telephone or radio) which may lead to the signal received being different from that sent.

10 The strengths of Shannon and Weaver s model are its Simplicity Generality, and Quantifiability. Such advantages made this model attractive to several academic disciplines. It also drew serious academic attention to human Communication and information theory , leading to further theory and research. Weaknesses of the transmission model of Communication : The transmission model tends to over-simplify and misrepresent the nature of human Communication , reducing it to a process of transmitting information. It fails to recognize that human Communication is about meaning rather than information. The transmission model fixes and separates the roles of sender and receiver , whereas human Communication often involves simultaneous sending and receiving (not only talking, but also body language and so on). In Shannon and Weaver s model the source is seen as the active decision-maker who determines the meaning of the message; the 3 3 destination is the passive target.